Mezzaro

Specialty coffee behind a pastry counter

Coffee is not an afterthought to the cakes at Mezzaro. In 2014 the bar moved away from a local blend of eighty percent arabica and twenty percent robusta and toward specialty coffee, and the current program runs on an exclusive supply of His Majesty the Coffee. Espresso and cappuccino remain the backbone, but alternative extractions sit alongside them, with Aeropress and Chemex both in service, and a marocchino for anyone who wants the chocolate side of the house in a cup. The coffee side of the family took the Espresso Italiano Champion title in London in 2014 for best Italian espresso and cappuccino, and also took part in a Guinness World Record for the largest cappuccino, made in Milan in 2013 with the Aicaf Coffee Masters team. In 2025 the café was named a European Coffee Trip country winner.

A family counter since 1975

The Mezzaro story in Alessandria starts in 1975 with the first shop on via XX Settembre, and expands in 2001 into the city-center combination of pastry shop, cafeteria and chocolate shop that the via Cavour room still runs on. The second generation now shapes the counter, one side on pastry and chocolate, the other on coffee. The room itself is compact and polished, closer to a historic neighborhood caffetteria than to a lounge, with about a dozen seats and a strong breakfast rhythm. The crowd is broad, from students and older regulars to families and visitors following the food traditions of the city, which is what a counter like this is for.

What to order

Start with coffee, either an espresso or a cappuccino, because those are the drinks the competition record was built on. If you want the specialty side, ask for an Aeropress or a Chemex. Then take one of the house names rather than a generic pastry. Delizie are the historic signature, two almond wafers filled with gianduia chocolate. Ciambella Mezzaro carries the family cake tradition, and El pan de Lorenso is a slow-risen sourdough with chocolate drops and apricots flavored with cognac. Albicocche Regina push further into the chocolate shop, apricots stuffed with chocolate cream and cognac and covered in dark chocolate. Terrae et Sapores, built for the forty-fifth anniversary, layers gianduia cream, rice mousse, apricot compote, milk chocolate mousse and soft Piedmont hazelnut cake, and comes as a single portion as well.